Comments

I would not have published this if I did not have the same kind of problem. Letters jump all over the place. It makes it r impossible to reliably use these machines for which line one has paid hundred of dollars and in some cases thousands. Note how the 'r' and 'line' inserted themselves in the above sentence. How can ASUS sell this RUBBISH? I don't understand why there is not more about this on the internet unless somehow ASUS is managing to block discussions. It is mysterious and awful.

In a rare instance in the which some of the truth about the Syrian conflict is revealed to its listeners, at 9.30 pm on 15 June, ABC News Radio reported that members of the Australian Syrian community had protested in Sydney against the plans by the United States to directly intervene in the terrorist war against Syria. The Syrian protestors also repudiated US Secretary of State John Kerry's lie that the government of Bashar al-Assad had used Chemical weapons against the people of Syria, thereby crossing a "red-line" which Kerry says would justify greater US intervention in Syria.

Ironically, while our State and National economies are sinking in debt, Japan's is growing despite their "ageing population".

Data showed the world's third-biggest economy grew 1.0 per cent in the first quarter, revised up slightly from a preliminary estimate, underscoring a steady recovery driven by a pickup in global growth and sweeping stimulus policies by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The Age: Japan's economy grows, and surplus doubles

Exports are gradually recovering as overseas growth picks up, so that's a positive sign. But the growth in exports isn't strong enough to offset the rising import costs. However, their economy is actually producing goods to export, while Australia's economy is largely supported by housing and property developments - with opportunities for economic surplus anchored down by population growth.

Those who demand economic growth through population growth are ignoring the ongoing and long-term costs of population growth. Australia's manufacturing is going downhill, and high skilled education and knowledge investment is being starved by lack of funding - and thus universities are relying more on educating international students. It's counter-productive as this means educating our own population has the heavy burden of relying on temporary and permanent immigration!

Athletes lose their winning edge once they become obese and lose their slimline bodies and muscle elasticity. The wealthier nations now, per capita, are those of northern Europe that invest in high skills and exports of their knowledge - like Scandinavia and Germany. The slim and future-ready nations will survive future challenges such as food shortages, scarcities of natural resources due to their investments in knowledge and skills and not the "fat" of bulging populations.

Australia's economy is gorging on population growth, and drowning in debt. The threat of an "ageing population" is cashing on our natural fear of aging, but it should be celebrated for good health, prosperity, ability to provide social and family support, and the wisdom and stability that comes with age.

Sensibly, Japan has not resorted to mass immigration and are heading towards a sustainable and smaller population. Big is not always better and there are benefits of aging that should be celebrated!

Coles corporate affairs Anna Kelly said Coles welcomed the large number of community members supporting its push for improved animal welfare standards. Animals Australia will withdraw its limited range of Make it Possible shopping bags from sale. "Coles was concerned that the good work with our farmer suppliers in the pork and chicken industries would be over shadowed by farmer reaction to the Animals Australia campaign on live cattle exports and has therefore agreed with the offer to withdraw its shopping bags," Ms Kelly said. The Weekly Times: Animals Australia recalls bag Coles is admitting there is no middle ground between meeting Animals Australia's standards of humane chicken, eggs and pork supplies. The system is entrenched in animal cruelty, due to factory farming. Coles obviously supports the obscenity of live exports, and having animals dragged, stabbed and tortured in overseas abattoirs. Farmers should work with Animals Australia. They are not an abolitionist group trying to destroy farmers and the meat industry. Animals Australia are trying to make the public aware of animal cruelty more and more inherent in farming. The "good work" done by farmers in producing meat from pigs confined in sheds for their whole short lives, and being mutilated in the process, is "good" for Coles too! It's business as usual, and they are shunning any free-range systems that would require the public to pay the real costs of producing humane meat and eggs, as was in the traditional methods of farming. The organisations should work together to gain the confidence of the public. This furore makes the Farmers Federation sound as if they actually endorse animal cruelty! "Making it happen" is increasingly difficult as farmers' livelihoods depend on mass production. With land prices soaring, and our cities swelling is size, the days of traditional farming are diminishing as demands for livestock products outpace animal welfare standards.

A friend has reported to me that she saw a large crowd in Melbourne's Swanston Street near the town hall on Sunday afternoon about 3.00pm . She said about 400 people people were protesting against the Turkish government and in sympathy with the protesters in Istanbul defending Taksim Square. This was the focus but from talking to those taking part who said they were mainly from the Turkish community she tells me that it was a moderate well behaved protest about democracy in Turkey. My friend had no knowledge of the rally before coming across the protesters. She saw no media cameras and there have been no reports in the mainstream TV news.

On 31 May it was reported, in the Sydney Morning Herald article Assange slams Carr as a 'well-known liar', that, from the Ecuadorean Embassy in London in which he has has gained refuge, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has called Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr a "well-known liar" whose "ignorance is only eclipsed by his arrogance".

Assange's remarks were in response to Bob Carr's previous assertion that he was fantasizing to think that the US intended to extradite him from Sweden to face conspiracy charges over information provided to Wikileaks by Bradley Manning.

Julian Assange said that he had never claimed there was a CIA conspiracy, but said the US Justice Department was still engaged in a live criminal investigation into WikiLeaks "of unprecedented scale and nature". He added that "Bob Carr is a well-known liar in Australian politics. The man's ignorance is only eclipsed by his arrogance."

Assange accused Bob Carr of being a "US embassy informer" in his own right as a union official during the 1970s, according to diplomatic cables obtained and published by WikiLeaks. This is further confirmed by the Melbourne Age article Bob Carr: Washington's man in Australia of 8 April 2013 and the included article Is Bob Carr a spy? republished from the Independent Australian of 11 April 2013.

When Ford employees lose their jobs in 2016, Julia Gillard is offering a package of $15.1m to help them find new positions. Ironically, funding to universities has been slashed by nearly $3 b, yet Ford has been subsidized by over $1 b over the years to keep the industry in operation. Obviously manufacturing skills are more highly valued that knowledge and academia. This is despite free trade with foreign countries with much lower wages and conditions demolishing our manufacturing industries. With 1,500 new people entering Victoria each week, the problem of our unemployment will be exacerbated by competition with "skilled" workers. A new suburb was announced recently by planning Minister Matthew Guy, offering more jobs for developers. An incentive to create jobs in Victoria would be very welcome, but the competition with temporary and permanent migrants will mean more people will need employment at a time of cutbacks and company closures.

Yarra Council wants to be the David that stops the $8 billion East West Link Goliath. Mayor Jackie Fristacky pledged to go "all the way'' to stop the "lunacy'' of a tolled tunnel from the Eastern Freeway to the Tullamarine Freeway. With the powers of both the growth and road lobby groups behind the East-West link plans, even Council will have trouble turning away the destructive momentum of Goliath. It deflies logic to lose our heritage open space parklands, wetlands at Royal Park, and increase noise and pollution in our city, when there are alternatives already available. The East-West Link is planned to run from the end of the eastern freeway at Clifton Hill through to the Western Ring Road. With ongoing population growth and property develpers being a major lobby group in Victoria, any plans to ease up congestion will eventually be overwhelmed by more traffic. No problem in a system can be solved if the system is continually under pressure to grow. The energy and resources needed for growth compromises any "solutions" to coping with growth, and the quality of the system. The public are demanding public transport, especially with the decline in Australia's liquid fuels and increases in petrol prices. Any solution to road congestion will be clogged up by more cars eventually. The success of this East-West link, despite public protests and logic, mean the North East missing-link is a real and threatening possibility. Tony Abbott has made it perfectly clear a Coalition government won’t provide funding for any urban rail projects in Australia, including the Metro. The North East Link is a proposed new connection between the M80 Ring Road at Greensborough and the Eastern Freeway. It is considered to be an important future link for freight movement, both within and through Melbourne, and for access to employment. It's planned to cut through important heritage parklands, conservation areas, wetlands, and recreational/biodiversity links in the Banyule area. It will link major industrial areas and intermodal terminals, including the Port of Hastings - for all the imported goods we must continue to consume. The proposed new link will is also important to cater for Melbourne’s future population growth planned to be foisted onto us. Friends of Banyule are a not-for-profit organisation that works to protect and enhance the environmental values of Banyule. Their mission is to stop the NE Link through parklands in Banyule by lobbying local, state and federal government for cheaper, sustainable transport solutions. They are part of a coalition of community groups. There's a long dark shadow over the parklands and integrity of Banyule, with these undemocratic forces blundering and bullying through any efforts to stop the road/freeway/spending madness on road transport, and the addiction to growth. With petrol prices predicted by the CSIRO to be up to $8 a litre, it's only this cost that will eventually grind the growth-model to a halt.

Within weeks, our government could allow developers to start tearing enormous holes in the seabed inside the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area - a practice known as dredging - near the Whitsunday Islands. Some 3 million cubic metres of sediment (enough to fill 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools!) would be ripped from the ocean bed, destroying the homes and food sources of turtles, dugongs and rare snubfin dolphins. Similar actions at Gladstone have been blamed for crippling the fishing industry. Now mining companies want do it all again at Abbot Point -- but they won’t get away with it if we act now. Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke has the power to stop this. So we’ve launched an emergency petition to demonstrate massive community opposition to this dreadful plan. Sign on today and we’ll hand deliver the petition to Burke in front of journalists during the UN World Heritage Committee meeting in June. TAKE ACTION Environment Minister Tony Burke (yes, it's hard to believe that we actually have one) is still feeling the heat after the UN World Heritage Committee put his department on notice for failing to protect the Reef. The Committee is holding its annual meeting in June, where they’ll give an update on its verdict to save the Reef. He’ll already be nervous about approving another project that would cause more damage, so he’ll be much more receptive to our calls. It would be derelict of duty to allow big mining businesses to destroy a world heritage area. But, money and profits are the only values that matter when governments end up hijacked by their interests and powers.

Reyhanli-Gate: The Cover Up & Changing Story on the Turkey-Syria Border Town Bombing

Wednesday, 29. May 2013

Did the Rift between the Turkey’s AKP Government & Imam Fethullah Gülen’s Cult Lead to the Death of 52 Turkish Citizens?

By Peter Edel

Reyhanli, a town in the Turkish province of Hatay near the Syrian border, was hit last month by a double bomb attack – 52 dead victims, a sad record. Seventeen Turkish Marxists were arrested. Allegedly they committed the crime on command of the Mukhabarat, the secret police of the Syrian dictator₆ Bashar al-Assad.

The criticism of the Turkish government regarding its policy on Syria became almost omnipresent in Turkey after the assault on Reyhanli. In the town itself a massive demonstration against the government resulted in a confrontation with the riot police. Ironically the large majority in Hatay voted for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Many in Turkey hold to the opinion that the spilling of violence from Syria into Turkey follows from the decision of the government to grant the Syrian rebels active support. The critics have a point, for the fact that previous wars in neighboring countries did not cause Turkey much harm had everything to do with a passive government policy.

Empty hands

The Syrian regime strived to increase the pressure on the Turkish government and therefore ordered some sympathizing Marxists in Turkey to hit Reyhanli with two car bombs. At least, that’s the way Ankara makes it appear. It defies logic.

PM Erdogan, who is regularly begging Washington for an American war in Syria, was given a new argument with the tragedy in Reyhanli. Erdogan could use news like this after UN-investigator Carla del Ponte failed to find any evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government.

Shortly before his visit to the US, Erdogan appeared to be empty handed, and It was only because of the double blast in Reyhanli that Erdogan could put something on the table in Washington. It’s not very credible that Assad did not take this scenario into consideration beforehand. OK, it was not very likely that Erdogan could persuade Obama to begin an open war in Syria anyway, but the possibility that Obama would compensate with more military support for the Syrian rebels could not be completely ruled out. Hardly imaginable that Assad was eager to achieve that.

Ediboglu

Mehmet Ediboglu of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the leading opposition party in the Turkish parliament, claims that the arrested Marxists are innocent of what happened in Reyhanli. Reports suggesting they have confessed apparently do not make much of an impression on Ediboglu. This is understandable- confessions are not very relevant in Turkey considering Turkey’s reputation when it comes to ‘special interrogation techniques’.

According to Ediboglu the assault on Reyhanli was done by Jahbat al-Nusra, a Syrian rebel group allied to al-Qaeda, with ambitions to establish a Sunni regime in Syria. So, exactly what is the neo-Ottoman AKP-government in Turkey aiming for? This mutual objective coincides with numerous reports that al-Nusra receives weapons from Turkey.

Al-Nusra would prefer that Turkey deal with Assad once and for all. Erdogan would probably love to, but is reluctant as long as Obama is hesitant to throw the U.S. into a new war because of negative public opinion. Moreover, Erdogan and Obama are both scared of the efficient Syrian air defense system. Since Assad is making some progress in suppressing the rebellion against his regime, al-Nusra is running out of time.

Those are the circumstances under which the blasts in Reyhanli took place. It draws attention to certain developments; like Erdogan’s remark after Reyhanli that he won’t let himself be pushed into a war in Syria. In so far as he was referring to Assad this does not make any sense. For what can Assad gain with a Turkish offensive against Syria? Al-Nusra on the other hand, could only gain from this. So, it was most likely a slip of the tongue by Erdogan.

Besides, the blast in Reyhanli very clearly carries the signature of Syrian terrorists. It’s bizarre that on one of the cars a person was tied with copper wire.

So far only four Syrian’s were identified among the victims. Remarkable, if one takes into consideration that the ratio between Turks and Syrians is about fifty-fifty in the multi ethnic town. Not to mention the fact that the police in Reyhanli failed to close off the area after the blasts- Making it easy for evidence to disappear, or…. to appear.

Redhack

The situation became downright embarrassing for the Turkish government when the computer hacker group Redhack (1) released documents on the Internet of the Jandarma (Turkish rural military police). The information proved that the Turkish authorities were fully informed that al-Qaeda/al-Nusra was planning an assault with car bombs in Turkey against Syria. The Turkish government could not deny the authenticity of the documents, but it stayed with its position that the Assad regime was responsible for Reyhanli. In the framework of crisis management the government simply stated that it was privy to information the security services had no access to! Subsequently a Jandarma officer, who supposedly leaked to Redhack, was arrested. Redhack denied it had been in contact with this officer and campaigned for his release.

MIT/Police

Before Redhack entered the narrative, the police and MIT (the national intelligence service of Turkey) were putting the blame on each other for what happened in Reyhanli. MIT said it informed the police three days before the attack. The police argued that they had been at the point of making arrests, but didn’t because MIT told them to wait. That something went totally wrong also came to light in the mysterious transfer of the police chief of Reyhanli a few days after the bombing. In a statement by PM Erdogan before his departure to the U.S. he mentioned a ‘communication problem’ between security services in Reyhanli and announced an investigation.

The fact that MIT-leader Hakan Fidan is Erdogan’s confidant and that followers of the U.S. residing imam Fethullah Gülen have much influence within the police force, are of course very special details in all of this. Especially, since the conflict (2) between Erdogan and Gülen has become more apparent lately – the almost undisguised attacks on each other by their mouthpieces in the media leave little doubt about that. Observers (3) in Turkey are quite sure that the ‘communication problem’ between MIT and the police could very well be seen as the next chapter in the rift between the PM and the preacher.

Gülen, who mostly keeps in line with Washington positions, is annoyed by Erdogan’s intention to visit Gaza and the West bank. Moreover, he has reservations about the talks between MIT and PKK-leader Abdullah Öcalan. At first Gülen endorsed this ‘peace process’, although it didn’t seem to be with full belief. He may have said so because Washington expected it from him. No doubt he’s wary about a decrease in his movement’s influence in the Kurdish part of Turkey, following a deal between Erdogan and the PKK. Remarks in the Gülen-media are quite indicative of this.

A Gülen-Party?

There are many issues between Erdogan and Gülen. Last week Erdogan’s former spokesperson Fehmi Koru was among the observers who asserted that the Gülen-movement is considering its own political party in Turkey, out of discontent with Erdogan’s AKP. Remarkable, if one takes into consideration the statements of Gülen that his movement is not of a political nature. On the other hand, political is exactly the word to describe the movement, as it has been that way since its early days. It goes without saying that such a party would be a heavy burden on Erdogan. It could easily make him lose half, or even more, of his votes.

Whether it will come to this is something for crystal gazers. What concerns us right now is whether the conflict between Gülen and Erdogan contributed to the reasons the bomb attack in Reyhanli was not prevented. In any case, after the bloody event it was time for deliberation on the highest level. The first rumor had it that Erdogan would go to Pennsylvania personally to meet Gülen during his stay in the U.S. But that was out of the question, if only because according to Turkish customs he would have put himself under Gülen as his guest.

So, Erdogan send his deputy PM Bülent Arinc instead. In his statement (4) concerning the meeting Arinc denied any conflict between the government and Gülen, merely adding that ‘he wants us to show sensitivity on regional as well as international issues.’ At around the same time Gülen’s loyal columnist Ekrem Dumanli (5) went in full denial mode of a conflict as well. All this is entirely insignificant, of course. But on neither side was there any sign of leaking to the media, and that’s an indication of a certain understanding. That’s why it’s my bet that we’re not going to hear much about the rift between Erdogan and Gülen for some time. However, it’s unlikely that the status quo will remain very long. The mutual lust for power of the PM and the preacher will most probably insure that they will find each other in each other’s way again soon.

# # # #

Peter Edel is an analyst and investigative journalist based in the Netherlands. He is a regular contributor to Boiling Frogs Post.

Notes

1. http://redhack.tumblr.com/post/51069851247/turkish-intelligence-services-was-aware-of-the-bombs

2. http://turkishinvitations.weebly.com/new-power-struggle-emerging-in-turkey.html

3. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/towards-an-intelligence-state.aspx?pageID=449&nID=47632&NewsCatID=406

4. http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/islamic-scholar-gulen-asked-government-to-be-more-careful-deputy-pm-arinc-.aspx?PageID=238&NID=47443&NewsCatID=338

5. http://www.todayszaman.com/columnistDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=316612#.UaMGXS_tE8I.twitter

6 ↑ Too many articles, which argue the case in support of Syria as this article rightly does, seem to also include an obligatory labelling of President Bashar al-Assad as a 'dictator' and 'corrupt'.

It appears to me that many Syrians who claim to oppose the Syrian Government because of its alleged corruption are acting for the enemies of Syria -- the United States government, and the Arab dictatorships and Israel and hence traitors, and hence, by definition, far more corrupt than anyone defending the Syrian Government could possibly be.

Whilst the Syrian government may not be without serious flaws, President Assad still strikes me as a man, who is far more courageous, kind and decent than any of the rulers or 'elected' national leaders opposed to him on the international stage, such as Australia's Foreign Minister Bob Carr. (Had Assad ruled Syria, as ineptly and unconscionably as Carr ruled the State of New South Wales as Premier from 1995 until 2005, his government would have long since been overthrown.)

I think the time has long since past when these labels should have been dropped and Assad and those around him be given credit for the courageous and inspired leadership they have shown against the terrorists and their masters. Also, I think it is time that those who wish to make the truth about Syria known, refrained from labelling the Syrian government the 'Syrian regime'.

As I understand it, the project will most likely be open cut bulldozing through the park. Virtually all playing fields and wetlands in West Parkville will be destroyed by the surface connections with CityLink. Furthermore the years of construction will render the area unusable during this time and leave a permanent scar. A park is never the same after it is bisected by a multi-lane road. Its integrity,amenity and ambiance will be utterly destroyed.

One of the world's leading naturalists, Sir David Attenborough, has cautioned Australia against pursuing further population growth, labelling an unlimited expansion a kind of madness. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/sir-david-warns-against-grow... Sir David Attenborough questioned why our country still debated whether it needed to grow its population. Actually, there is no debate. The mainstream parties have long been locked into the growth-formula for their economic model. It defies reason, logic and long-term strategies. Population growth is considered inevitable by governments that make these growth-decisions without democratic input. The evolution of our economic model has meant that the ideal of "growth is good" has continued long after its use-by-date. We live in a time of the challenge of feeding the planet's swelling numbers. It's assumed that innovation and technology will increase food production by 70% by 2050, as required by the UN. We have species extinctions, deforestation, environmental degradation, the decline of the oceans' food chains, and the inevitable consequences of conflicts as limited finite resources are more thinly spread, our politicians' desire for a bigger population is devoid of scope and a global view. Australia should set the pace on sustainability. It's encouraging that Sir David has not given up on us humans saving the planet. While much of the public will warm to him and share his views, no doubt his message will land on deaf ears for most of our leaders. Attenborough said ''The notion that you could continue to expand and increase and grow in an infinite way on a planet which is finite, is a kind of lunacy. You can see how mad that is by the expression that you can't believe that you can grow infinitely in a finite place - unless of course you're an economist." Economists deal with numbers that are infinite, and the constraints of the real world can be smoothed away through graphs showing growth without limits. “Anyone who believes in indefinite growth in anything physical, on a physically finite planet, is either mad or an economist.” Kenneth E. Boulding

The only evidence of the use of chemical weapons in Syria is of use by the terrorists fighting to overthrow the government of Bashar al-Assad as attested to by UN inspector Carla del Ponte.

Nonetheless, those seeking to manufacture an excuse, that could be used to gain public acceptance of an invasion of Syria by the United States and its allies, have claimed that they have evidence that the Syrian Government has used chemical weapons against its own people.

The claim that Assad would use chemical weapons against the very people who, by their support of his government, has enabled the Syrian Arab Army to hold out against the terrorist insurgency for over two years, is ludicrous in the extreme. Nonetheless, like the lies of Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction, the incubator babies, the Tonkin Gulf incident, this lie may yet make it possible for the United States to do wage war against the Syrian people on the same scale that it already has in Iraq and Libya.

The lies uttered by US Secretary of States John Kerry, as recorded on YouTube on 11 May 2013, is further evidence of his and his government's criminality :

The above speech should be contrasted with 27 year old Vietnam War veteran John Kerry's speech against the Vietnam War in 1971. (The speech commences 10 minutes and 20 seconds into a 42 minute and 30 second Democracy Now broadcast.)

HSI advise that you can send read and send a form letter (please feel free to add your own comments) prepared by HSI, or write directly using the following contact details:

Click here

The Honourable Campbell Newman MP, PO Box 15185, City East QLD 4002 - [email protected]

The Honourable Andrew Cripps MP, PO Box 15216, City East QLD 4002 - [email protected]

From PressTV, 23 May 2013

The daughter of Qatari ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has censured Doha’s support for the terrorists in Syria.

In a message she posted on Twitter, Sheikha Hind bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani stated that the backing of the terrorists was a ‘scandal in the history of Qatar.’

She also denounced the atrocities committed by the terrorists and said the armed groups had committed crimes against the Syrian people - an apparent reference to a gruesome video recently published on the Internet. (Film should only be viewed by minors in the presence of responsible adults.)

The video shows a cannibal terrorist in Syria cutting an organ of a Syrian soldier out of his chest and biting into it.

The Qatari princess also slammed the intervention of terrorists from Saudi Arabia in Syria and their ‘execution of Syrian citizens.’

Turmoil has gripped Syria since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of Syrian security forces, have been killed in the unrest.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on May 18 that terrorist from 29 different countries were fighting against the government in different parts of the country.

In January, Prince Turki al-Faisal, former Saudi spy chief, called for sending heavy weaponry to the terrorists in Syria.

Editorial comment: I have replaced any occurrence of the word 'militant' with the word 'terrorist' in this article, which happens also to be consistent with the practice of the Syrian Arab News Agency. Many ostensibly progressive groups willingly use the term 'militant' in their own name because of its positive connotations in the English language. I consider that referring to the killers who are waging war against the Syrian people and their government as 'militants' is somewhat an error on the part of those who translate these reports into English.

See also: PressTV film of Syrian Army prisoners being shot in cold blood by their captors. (Film should only be viewed by minors in the presence of responsible adults.) It is followed by an interview with Franklin Lamb.

More than half of respondents to a Salvation Army survey are often going without meals, while two-thirds are having to cut down on buying basic necessities. Australia's status as a desirable "Lucky Country" of a few short decades ago has been eroded by economic growth! 2,700 people across more than 200 Salvation Army centres around the nation were surveyed. The findings also highlight the impact poverty is having on children, with many missing out on school activities, new uniforms and annual dental check-ups. 30 per cent of people surveyed could not afford to fill prescriptions after going to the doctor, and 60 per cent were unable to access dental treatment. While we spend billions of dollars asylum seekers, and our guilt is projected onto their displacement and plights from war and conflicts, many of our own children and most vulnerable are at risk from poverty. The Salvation Army estimates that one in six children in Australia now live at or below the poverty line. 92% have no savings. As our wealth pyramid progressively is shared between more and more people, those at the base are being more and more suppressed and living in deprivation. Ostensibly, our cities have more glass towers and our economy is "growing", its quality is disintegrating at it's base. Salvation Army survey finds many families going without basic necessities

Today (21 May 2013), Supreme Court proceedings were commenced to sue the Department of Environment and Primary Industries for years of failure to protect Victoria’s threatened wildlife. We are alleging in Court that the State Government has violated the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act by not preparing protection plans called Action Statements for four threatened species: the Glossy Black Cockatoo, the Long-nosed Potoroo, the Eastern She-oak Skink and the Large Brown Tree Frog. These four struggling heroes represent the other 370 listed species that also have no legal protection despite them being extremely rare. There’s is a big difference between being listed as threatened and actually being protected. We proved that the govt. logging agency had failed to survey for and protect endangered forest wildlife for decades, when we won the last Supreme Court case in 2010. But we learnt that VicForests can survey and identify rare animals, but still destroy them, their homes and food. Although they’re in deep trouble, the govt refuses to write up plans to protect all listed wildlife. We have amazing animals that exist nowhere else on earth, but laws to protect them are violated daily by the government. The way the state government is applying the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act is instead guaranteeing their extinction. Environment East Gippsland is being represented by the Environment Defenders Office. This case will cost us thousands of dollars and we are asking for any assistance you can offer. Tax deductible donations for 2012/13 can be made to EEG via GiveNow: Please share this - or send to others who are also fighting to save their local wildlife. This case could have very wide ramifications. Jill ------------- Jill Redwood Coordinator Environment East Gippsland Inc Locked Bag 3 ORBOST Vic 3888 (03) 5154 0145 www.eastgippsland.net.au EAST GIPPSLAND - our breathing space

The only place on Earth where orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos all roam together, 1.2 million hectares of Sumatran rainforest are under threat of being flattened for gold mines, oil palm plantations, logging and roads. Campaigners in Sumatra are working around the clock to use this momentum to convince Indonesia's President to keep Aceh's forests, wildlife and people safe. This is our only hope of protecting this last stronghold for some of the planet's most endangered species. Palm oil is one of the world's leading agricultural commodities. The two biggest producers, Malaysia and Indonesia, account for 84 percent of the world's palm oil production and ring up sales of US$11 billion annually. The world's appetite for energy seems insatiable, and palm oil may be the Next Big Thing in energy. As biofuels take center stage and governments mandate their use-ironically for the environmental benefits-additional forest destruction, and the attendant loss of wildlife and proliferation of smoke-filled skies, are likely to ensue. The biofuel boom is spurring companies to turn more and more of these vast areas into oil palm plantations. John Buchanan, senior director of business practices with the U.S.-based NGO Conservation International, says that palm oil's energy efficiency as a biofuel makes it very attractive to investors. The promise being made is that wood can produce fuels to run our cars. A few years ago we were told corn, rapeseed, sugar, oil palm, soy and various other crops could be grown for biofuels while providing energy security and reducing greenhouse emissions. The reality has been far different with globally surging food prices, loss of rainforests and other important habitats, further depletion and poisoning of aquifers, and rampant human rights abuses -- all for little or no greenhouse gas emission reduction. To grow enough corn to yield one gasoline-equivalent gallon of ethanol in the drought-stricken Midwest requires 2,700 gallons of water, while the refining process itself consumes between three and six gallons of water per gallon of ethanol. With almost 50 percent of corn production now going to ethanol, farmers and ranchers are paying more for feed which means higher prices for beef, milk, poultry and pork. As with agrofuels, a cellulosic ethanol industry will indirectly destroy forests and lead to more costly food by increasing land pressures upon natural forests and agricultural crop lands. We can expect more vast, lifeless, toxic and water dependent monocultures of genetically modified Frankentrees on stolen deforested lands at a net carbon loss. And the biofuels will be sold to us as a green product, perhaps certified as "well-managed" by WWF, FSC, and other forest sell-outs. Human population growth, species extinctions, the destruction of the planet is set to continue in the quest for economic growth and energy. Biomass, humanity's oldest fuel, makes up 76 per cent of renewable energy and 10 per cent of all energy. About 60 per cent of this is wood, twigs and dung, used by almost three billion people who lack modern fuels, resulting in terrible air pollution and millions of deaths. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/harvesting-forests-to... SOS: Momentum grows in the Save Aceh campaign This is not a "harvest" but a rape and pillaging of Nature's last strongholds - forests. Forests can't be seen for the trees if they are valued only as "fuel". Forests are multidimensional environmental systems that are fine-tuned over long periods to sustain biodiversity, food chains, climate and atmosphere control. Many of the world’s most threatened and endangered animals live in forests. Biomass as "CO2 neutral" assumes only one dimension of our existence on our planet - the consumption of energy at whatever costs, even robbing future generations of intact ecosystems. The planet is not just for one species, homo sapiens. We must work in harmony with the planet, not be the cause of an ecological disaster. It's short-sighted and anthropocentric to consider forests as a free energy resource.

If you check out Dr Sarg's filmed lecture, Part 1., here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3gJp8rLHWg, you will find that he refers to Andrea Rossi's patented claim to producing cold fusion and gives his opinion that Rossi's invention was unfairly buried.

There is, however, an account of how Rossi's invention was treated on Wikipedia, which includes Australian Dick Smith's offer of $1m to Rossi to demonstrate it, which was refused.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Catalyzer

Energy Catalyzer
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The Energy Catalyzer (also called E-Cat) is a purported cold fusion or Low-Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR) heat source[1][2] built by inventor Andrea Rossi[3][4] with support from physicist Sergio Focardi.[5][6] An Italian patent, which received a formal but not a technical examination, describes the apparatus as a "process and equipment to obtain exothermal reactions, in particular from nickel and hydrogen".[7][8] Rossi and Focardi say the device works by infusing heated hydrogen into nickel, transmuting it into copper and producing heat.[9][10] An international patent application[1] has received an unfavorable international preliminary report on patentability because it seemed to "offend against the generally accepted laws of physics and established theories" and to overcome this problem the application should have contained either experimental evidence or a firm theoretical basis in current scientific theories.[11]

The device was demonstrated to an invited audience several times, and commented on by various academics and others, but was not independently tested. Mark Gibbs of Forbes commented: "until a verifiably objective analysis is conducted by an independent third party that confirms the results match the claims there's no real news".[12]

Professor Ugo Bardi of the University of Florence, noting contradictory claims made by Rossi regarding the emission or non-emission of gamma radiation, the location of a supposed factory – in Florida, or not in the United States at all – and the fact that some of his supporters are apparently deserting him, said "...the E-Cat has reached the end of the line. It still maintains some faithful supporters, but, most likely, it will soon fade away in the darkness of pathological science, where it belongs".[13]
Contents

1 Reactions to the claims
2 Patents
3 Demonstrations
4 Commercial plans
5 References
6 External links

Reactions to the claims

Because of his research in the cold fusion for over 15 years, Sergio Focardi was contacted by Andrea Rossi in 2007 in order to validate the apparatus at its early stage of development.[14][15] After four years of work and measurements together with Rossi, Focardi concluded that nuclear fusion reactions happen inside the Energy Catalyzer. Focardi states that the nuclear process is facilitated by a secret additive, known only by Rossi and not by him. According to Focardi, the process would be much less intense without this additive.[16] Rossi and Focardi are then reported to have been unable to find a peer-reviewed scientific journal that would publish their paper describing how they claim the Energy Catalyzer operates.[17] Their paper appears only in Rossi's self-published blog,[18] Journal of Nuclear Physics.[19]

University of Bologna researchers have attended some E-Cat experiments, but only as observers. On 5 November 2011, the University of Bologna clarified that its researchers had not been involved in the demonstrations and that none of the experiments took place at the university. Rossi had signed a contract with the university, but no research had been done because Rossi hadn't made the first payment.[20][21][22][23] The contract was terminated by the university in January 2012 because Rossi hadn't fulfilled his contractual obligations.[24][25]

Peter Ekström, lecturer at the Department of Nuclear Physics at Lund University in Sweden, concluded in May 2011, "I am convinced that the whole story is one big scam, and that it will be revealed in less than one year."[26] He cites the unlikelihood of a chemical reaction being strong enough to overcome the Coulomb barrier, the lack of gamma rays, the lack of explanation for the origin of the extra energy, the lack of the expected radioactivity after fusing a proton with 58Ni, the unexplained occurrence of 11% iron in the spent fuel, the 10% copper in the spent fuel strangely having the same isotopic ratios as natural copper, and the lack of any unstable copper isotope in the spent fuel as if the reactor only produced stable isotopes.[26] Kjell Aleklett, physics professor at Uppsala University, said the percentage of copper was too high for any known reaction of nickel, and the copper had the same isotopic ratio as natural copper. He also stated, "Known chemical reactions cannot explain the amount of energy measured. A nuclear reaction can explain the amount of energy, but the knowledge we have today says that this reaction cannot take place."[27]

Other reactions to the device have been mixed. Dennis M. Bushnell, Chief Scientist at NASA Langley Research Center, described LENR as a "promising" technology and praised the work of Rossi and Focardi.[28] Roland Pettersson, retired Associate Professor from Uppsala University, who witnessed the 6 October demonstration said "I'm convinced that this works, but there is still room for more measurements".[29] Skeptic James Randi, discussing the E-Cat in the context of previous cold fusion claims, predicts that it will eventually be revealed to not function as advertised.[30]

Theoretical astrophysicist Ethan Siegel and nuclear physicist Peter Thieberger argue that the claims for the E-Cat are incompatible with the fundamentals of nuclear physics.[31] In particular, the Coulomb barrier for the claimed fusion reaction is so high that it is unsurpassable anywhere in the known universe, including the interior of stars. The reaction also would create gamma radiation that would penetrate the few inches of shielding apparently provided by the E-Cat, leading to acute radiation syndrome in persons involved in the demonstrations.[31] Given numerous other scientific inconsistencies – such as the ratio of isotopes in the supposed copper "fusion product" being identical to that in natural copper[32] – the authors argue that it is now time "for the e-Cat's proponents to provide the provable, testable, reproducible science that can answer these straightforward physics objections."[31]

Swedish physicists, Hanno Essén and Sven Kullander stated that if the claims that they had read about the e-cat were true, then it must operate through some kind of a nuclear reaction. However, they had no access to privileged information about the catalysts in Rossi's device. According to Kullander it is "important "to consider the experimental facts and not indulge too much in speculation about what could happen in theory". Kullander also emphasized that measurements of excess heat must be made accurately and independently: "You have to rely on Rossi that he is true to what he conveys and through discussions with him we may try to conclude how reliable the measurements are."[33] [34]

Theoretical nuclear physicist Yeong E. Kim of Purdue University has proposed a potential theoretical explanation of the reported results of the device,[35] but has stated that, for confirmation of this theory, "it is very important to carry out Rossi-type experiments independently."[36] Kim had previously put forward this theory to explain the results of the discredited Fleischman and Pons cold fusion experiment in 1989.[37]
Patents

An application in 2008 to patent the device internationally had received an unfavorable preliminary report on patentability at the World Intellectual Property Organization[38] from the European Patent Office, noting that the description of the device was based on "general statements and speculations" and citing "numerous deficiencies in both the description and in the evidence provided to support its feasibility" as well as incompatibilities with "generally accepted laws of physics and established theories."[39] The patent application was published on 15 October 2009.[1]

On 6 April 2011 an application was approved by the Italian Patent and Trademark Office, which issued a patent for the invention, valid only in Italy. Under then-current Italian law, the examination of the application was more formal and less technical than for the corresponding PCT application.[40][1][7][41] International, European, and U.S. patent applications are still pending.[42][1][7]
Demonstrations

Typically during demonstrations the device was covered up.[43] The device was not independently verified. Invited guests attended several demonstrations in Bologna in 2011.[16][44][45] Of a January demonstration, Discovery Channel analyst Benjamin Radford wrote that "If this all sounds fishy to you, it should," and that "In many ways cold fusion is similar to perpetual motion machines. The principles defy the laws of physics, but that doesn't stop people from periodically claiming to have invented or discovered one."[46] According to PhysOrg (11 August 2011), the demonstrations held from January to April 2011 had several flaws that compromised their credibility and Rossi had refused to perform tests that could verify his claims.[2]

The six published demonstrations from December 2010 to July 2011 might contain a crucial flaw, according to Australian researcher and skeptic Ian Bryce, who was investigating for entrepreneur Dick Smith. He believes that the E-cat is misconnected, and that the power attributed to fusion is supplied to the device through the earth wire. He noted that the misconnection could have been inadvertent.[47][48] Dick Smith offered Rossi one million dollars to demonstrate that the E-Cat system worked as claimed, while the power through the earth wire was also being measured, which Rossi refused.[49][50] Peter Thieberger, a senior physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory, said it would be very difficult for this misconnection to happen by accident and that the issue could only be cleared with a fully independent test.[47]

Another demonstration on 6 October 2011 reportedly lasted for about eight hours.[51][52][53] Roland Pettersson, retired Associate Professor from the University of Uppsala, who witnessed it said "I'm convinced that this works, but there is still room for more measurements".[29]

On 28 October 2011 the unit was "customer tested" and was said to release 2,635 kWh during five and a half hours of self-sustained mode, an average power of 479 kilowatts – just under half the promised power of one megawatt. Independent observers were not allowed to watch the measurements or make their own, and the plant remained connected to a power supply during the test allegedly to supply power to the fans and the water pumps.[54][55][56][57]
Commercial plans

Originally, a new Greek company, Defkalion, was to deliver a heating plant based on the Energy Catalyzer, but this deal was terminated.[58][59] Since then Defkalion have announced that they plan to make a similar device.[60][61] In 2012 an Italian company, Prometeon Srl,[62] became the official Italian licensee for the Energy Catalyzer.[63]

Ecat.com is a website for taking pre-orders for the device, run by four Swedish entrepreneurs, two of them particle physicists. One of the physicists, Magnus Holm, in response to suggestions that he was "contributing to fraud" replied "We are not engaged in any deception, and I do not think Rossi is engaged in any fraud either. If it would turn out that it does not work, in spite of everything, I would think it is about self-deception."[15] In September 2012 they pulled out from investing in a new version of the E-Cat, a prototype high temperature reactor, after a test by the SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden failed to demonstrate excess output energy because there was more input energy than measured by Rossi. Holm says that they are still interested in investing in the 1MW version, which they intend to validate separately.[64]

..... More on the site.

Queensland's Liberal/National Party Government is planning to bring its land clearing amendments to parliament. . The World Wildlife fund is arguing its case before the state's Development, Infrastructure and Industry Parliamentary Committee, claiming that the Campbell Newman-led administration has reneged on an election promise that it would "retain the current level of statutory vegetation protection." Under the State Government's proposed Vegetation Management Framework Amendment Bill, landholders would be able to clear land for "high value agriculture and environmental works". WWF-Australia has called on Premier Campbell Newman to honour an election-eve promise to retain the laws. "The undoing of that protection would accelerate the risk of extinction of a number of animals," CEO Mr O'Gorman said. "I think that Queenslanders love their koalas, love their cassowaries, and those vegetation areas also provide a vital protection to reducing run-off into the Great Barrier Reef. All of the good policies in the past that protected valuable land and biodiversity from indiscriminate clearing is being undone by the the Queensland Liberal-National Government. Twenty-seven academics from universities across Queensland are urging Premier Campbell Newman to reconsider proposed changes to the Vegetation Management Act. “These are big policy decisions and they’ll affect our wildlife and our biodiversity forever, so we think it’s really important to get them right,” said Concerned Queensland Scientists spokeswoman Martine Maron. Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/land-clearing-will-devastate-... There’s many species that rely upon not just mature bushland, but also that high-value regrowth, in order to survive. A group of 27 experts from five Queensland universities issued a statement today calling for the state government to reconsider the changes. "As scientists with expertise in biodiversity, conservation and sustainable development, we wish to express grave concerns about the future impacts of the proposed changes," they said. It is estimated that at least 700,000 hectares of endangered or ecologically important woodlands and forests could disappear, with other bushland being cleared as well. This destructive madness, malice and environmental vandalism is because more land is needed for agriculture. It's about cutting "red tape" so that farmers can increase their productivity, despite the fact that trees and vegetation are the homes for many species, and they are a buffer against climate change, flooding and soil erosion.

Tired of the constant media and political belly-aching over 'budget black-holes'?

Read this sensible analysis of the situation and weep even more over the abysmal quality of our public debate.

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2013/5/6/federal-budget/deficit-debate-thats-all-out-whack#ixzz2STx3kt4g

Imagine if the media narrative was directed toward things of substantial merit rather than sensational concoction.

The State Government is promising a $2.5 billion Budget surplus within four years, relying on a strong recovery in the Victorian property sector forecast to deliver thousands of new jobs. Jobs in housing construction are not ongoing, but depend on population growth. We are becoming entrenched in growth, and short-term gain at the expense of a sustainable budget, and future. Treasurer Micheal O'brien relying on strong recovery in property sector Strong "recovery" from the property sector implies an economy heavily reliant on on-going population growth, and the demand for housing. The government relies on land tax and stamp duty, rather than production, innovation and manufacturing for healthy exports. But economists said the Budget papers were "overly optimistic" in tipping growth would rise from its current 1.5 per cent to 2.25 per cent next year and then 2.75 per cent in following years. The race for high rates of population growth, instead of good and services, has become the measure of our State's economic performance. However, it's a bog hard to get free from, like an addiction. It's easy to shoot-up, but withdrawal is hard. The ANZ Bank's senior economist, Cherelle Murphy, warned the Victorian Government was being a bit too "optimistic" in terms of a property boom and population growth. "Nationally, unemployment looks like it is going to rise in the coming months and stay high," she said. The cost of population growth are never considered. We have a population growth rate of 1.7%, and our debt has increased to a new peak of $23 billion, up from $16 billion. It's perfect Ponzi scheme that consumes the "investors" at its base so that costs of living continues to increase, and we are plagued by "shortages" of services, congestion, cut-backs to funding and accumulating debt for infrastructure.